All Forum Posts by: Jennifer Jackson

@John Warren

thanks for the reply. I think I'll go ahead and send her a notice. She's not combative but she's been difficult because she feels like we owe her something since she fell on our property. 

With that being said, is it appropriate to email a late notice or does it have to be by mail? 

Hi All,

One of my tenants fell on my property in late June. You can read more about it in the linked post below, but basically we filed a claim with insurance and were found not liable. She asked for money, and we told her that we are not liable and while we're sorry for her fall, we still require full month's rent. 

My Q: Rent was due on the 1st. It is now the 8th. I believe she was late because she was waiting for the home insurance claim, which I understand, but now it's finalized and time to pay rent. At what point should I give some sort of notice of eviction? Thanks!

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/52/topics/725...

@Matthew Yu

Great advice. All the tenants go to church together so That is something I’m worried about. How would you phrase the email offering the money to move without accepting  blame for the accident?

@Caleb Heimsoth

No lawsuit, but I do want to consult someone to make sure I’m responding in an appropriate way. For example, before I consulted a lawyer (via something called just answer ), I would have offered her some $$ for her inconvenience. I now realize that’s accepting blame. it seems very necessary to get anything in writing checked over before sending. 

@Steven Warner

Thanks so much. That’s exactly what I was concerned about. It sucks because being a “good “ person and helping screws you over in the business sense. At the end of the day, this is a business and I’m her landlord, not her mother. 

Great responses. Again, thanks for the advice everyone. BP is a great community !!! 

@Steven Warner @Wayne Brooks

In the event I do not hire the attorney and give her say, $200 for her troubles, would that be a good idea? Just trying to figure out what I can do to keep good faith without doing something that can hurt me in the future if she does end up hiring a lawyer 

@Steven Warner

Yes I have insurance.  they found us not liable for the fall, but I still think I should have a lawyer on deck who knows me and my business. I also want to refer my tenant to him moving forward because she’s asking for a break on rent due to the fall, and for us to replace the pathway she fell on (which we do not intend to do because it was proven to be a non hazard).

 Thoughts on all this?? Thanks!!!

Hi all,

I recently had a tenant fall on my property and decided it’s time to lawyer up. The lawyer I called I ended up liking a lot and he has a lot of experience specifically in RE law, but his hourly rate is $400. His paralegal is $160/hr. Just wondering if this is in the ballpark of normal or if I should look elsewhere. For reference, I’m in Austin, TX. Thank you!!

Hi Everyone, 

Just thought I'd give an update on this. We went ahead with the tenant but upped her security deposit. She's been a great tenant so far, timely rent payments and takes care of her unit. So far so good!

@Miles Stanley thanks for the reply. It's a small 6 plex. Not broken concrete, just pavers.